Its Complicated
by twitchytwain
Summary: Danny and Lacey reignite the spark in their relationship but the complicated fact is they're divorced, he's getting married and she's falling in love with someone new.
1. Chapter 1

**Title: It's Complicated**

 **Characters:** Lacey Porter, Danny Desai

 **Category: Romance, humour, angst**

 **Rating: T/M**

* * *

"I want my rubber ducky!" Emma screamed and stomped her little feet on the bathroom floor.

"I will pack your rubber duck as soon as we dry you up, honey" exasperated, Lacey heaved a deep sigh and towelled her dry. Gently, she wiped beads of water from her daughter's forehead, tucking wet strands of black hair behind her reddened ears.

"Now mommy, now!" she cried, jumping up and down eliciting a scowl from Lacey.

"Stop it, Emma" she chastised her and grabbed her by her shoulders before taking a deep breath. Gathering her three year old in her arms, she smoothed back her hair and calmed her tantrum before carrying her into the bedroom to dress up. She was tired, it had been a long week at the office and the three mid-week book parties had taken a toll on her. Danny was running late to pick up Emma but then again so was she. She had a dinner date in less than an hour with some architect that Sarita had set up. It was yet another first date with a total stranger but she was hopeful that Sarita knew her better than some dating website. She was growing tired of dating, tired of her work and tired of New York.

The doorbell jolted her up from her thoughts and she quickly pulled a ladybug print dress over Emma's head before dashing downstairs. Someone was already plying the doorknocker and when she peered through the stained glass panels she could see Danny with the collar of his coat turned up and his hands tucked in his pocket. Balancing Emma on her left hip, Lacey opened the door with her right hand.

"You're late" she said coolly, dragging her gaze over Danny's lean form.

"And you're not ready, "he gave her a once over, his toffee brown eyes flitting from her white t-shirt to her fitted jeans before he brushed past her.

"Emma was taking a nap and I was working" she shrugged as Danny kissed his daughter's reddened cheek before inching closer to kiss Lacey's forehead.

"Working, always working" he clicked his tongue and took Emma from her so that she could lead him to the cavernous kitchen where the scent of freshly brewed coffee was wafting through the air. Danny examined his daughter's wet hair and bare feet before straightening out her dress.

"I live in two worlds, one is a world of imagination" Lacey said, her dark curls swinging over her shoulders. She put aside the pile of manuscripts littering the wood top kitchen island and set down two ceramic mugs for a round of coffee.

"No wine?" Danny cocked an eyebrow and set Emma down in her feeding chair before pulling out a wicker bar-stool for him.

"Am I suddenly mandated to drink wine before every single date?" she asked, feeling his gaze on her as she filled up both their cups.

"It helps you loosen up, you wouldn't want him to meet the real you so early on would you?" Danny toyed with her, a smirk curling the edge of his mouth. They stared at each other for a moment and then he smiled and she chuckled. When she handed him his coffee, she caught Emma undressing out of the corner of her eye.

"Look at that, its girls gone wild" Lacey shook her head, raising her cup to her lips.

They both laughed, eyes trailing back to each other before she asked, "You're glowing. Why are you glowing?"

"I have a date" he shrugged and raised his mug to look at her over its rim.

Her heart jolted at the words but she smiled and rolled her big brown eyes, "I have no words" she finally said, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Actually it's a play date" Danny rubbed the back of his neck, a warm flush seeping into his cheeks.

"As in you have a playdate with my daughter?" her eyebrows shot up but the hint of a smile didn't leave her face.

"Our daughter" he corrected.

Narrowing her eyes at him, she bit the corner of her bottom lip and said, "I'm not sure I agree with this"

"It's my weekend so I have Vito power"

"No. All weekend schedules need to be cleared with me first" she pointed, leaning over the counter to grab a glass jar full of store-bought cookies. She recalled how much he liked to have his coffee with cookies in the evenings, hot chocolate during the winter months.

"How did you get to be so self centred?" he tapered his eyes, lips edging upward.

"Years of dedicated practice" she leaned against the island, arms crossed against her chest and stole a glance at the white gold ring on his left hand.

Chuckling, she raised an eyebrow and asked "You ever gonna take that thing off?"

"Why, I wear it well" taking a bite from his cookie, he looked down at his finger and twirled the ring around with his thumb.

"Because it's been two years since our divorce, that's why"

"It's my security blanket"

Shaking her head and taking another sip from her cup, she asked "How did you manage to swing a date anyway?"

"This is the new Danny Desai, man of action"

"That's going on your headstone" she pushed off the island and picked up Emma again. Motioning with her head, she made Danny follow her up the stairs to their daughter's bedroom. He picked up their mugs, quietly watching the sway of her hips as they climbed up the steps.

"You doing anything special tomorrow night?" he asked once in the room, his eyes flitting to Emma's butterfly bedside lamp and the curious butterfly images it was casting on the wall.

"Either than emotionally eating my stress away?" Lacey laughed over her shoulder as she searched Emma's drawer for a different dress.

"Great, I'll bring the scrabble" Danny offered as he played with Emma's stuffed toys.

"I'll dig up a bottle of wine" she sighed and held up a garden print tiered dress. Danny shook his head and she went back to her mission of hunting for a change of clothes.

"Better make that two" he added.

"Worried about your playdate prospects?" she inquired, fighting back a smile.

"Hello, have we met?" he laughed, helping her dress their daughter.

Once Emma was dressed and ready to go, Danny waited downstairs for Lacey's customary pre-date fashion show. When she came down the stairs in her first outfit, his eyebrows shot up. She was clad in a knee length red dress with a boned bodice and underwired demi-cups. After purchasing it on a whim last Christmas, she hadn't had a chance to wear it yet and feared that it might collect dust in the back of her closet.

"Too much?" she asked, opening her arms.

"Too much might not be the correct choice of words" he chuckled, taking a sip from his fresh cup of coffee. She turned around, looked at him over her shoulder and placed her hands on her hips so that she could give him a full picture. Danny's gaze coasted over her curves and he grinned with a nod.

"It doesn't make my ass look fat right?" she tossed her hair back and exposed her glittering gold earrings.

Raising an eyebrow, he asked "Is a fat ass a bad thing?"

"Danny!"

"Your ass always looked great. It still does." He licked his lips, took another sip and swallowed past the knot in his throat.

"You look exquisite" he added softly.

"Since when did you start using _exquisite_ in your vocabulary?" she laughed watching him rise to his feet. He picked up Emma, balancing her on his back for a piggy-back ride and then he grabbed her overnight bag.

"Say goodnight to mommy, sweetheart" he told his daughter and Lacey leaned in to kiss her daughter before smoothing her curls back. Danny swung an arm around her slender waist and drew her closer to him, "Gotta run" he smiled, kissing the top of Lacey's head.

"Hey, "she called and he paused, looking back over his shoulder, "don't do anything slutty" she told him with a generous smile.

"It's a kid's play date" he countered as he opened the door. Pausing momentarily to meet her gaze, he smiled warmly and prompted his daughter to wave at mommy one last time.

Wagging her manicured finger at him, Lacey winked and laughed "My judgement still stands"

"Right back at you!" he laughed and closed the door behind them.

..

Lacey's date was late and her gut was telling her that he wasn't going to show. Picking up a bread stick from the basket on the centre of the table, she glared at it and willed herself to not take a big hearty bite. Then she consulted her watch again, this was bordering on ridiculous and she needed a big drink. She took her last sip of sparkling water and beckoned for the waiter.

"A glass of merlot, please" she ordered, holding up a menu set between thick black leather covers.

"The house wine, "the young man noted with an air that displeased Lacey, "anything to eat?" he scribbled down on his pad, not bothering to look up at her.

"I…uh...I'm still waiting for someone" she stammered as if a woman had to make excuses for dining alone. He nodded before gliding off to waltz between tables of diners. She sighed wishing she had the foresight to bring a few manuscripts with her so that she could squeeze in some work. Having just completed contract negotiations for one of her writers, she was on the lookout for the next great novelist. Sarita always teased that she was looking for the next Hemmingway to not only represent as an agent but to also bed as a lover. Little did Sarita know that it was actually Charles Bukowski she had her sights set on. Who could resist a crazy beatnik who rejected everything society represented, never mind the fact that he was a hedonistic alcoholic, he had always been the one.

A cool breeze pricked her skin and she swung her head to look out the wall of windows opening onto a busy street. It was a snug little restaurant with red bricked walls sprinkled with oil paintings and a piano tinkling in the background. She bolted up in her seat every time the kitchen door swung open and a rush of kitchen noise infiltrated the calm of the dining room. The place was elegant which had suggested that her date might be a cultured man, something she liked in a man but now after waiting an hour for him she wasn't quite so sure.

Finally giving in, Lacey selected a breadstick and snapped it in half. New York was the city of rejection and she might as well die in a sea of wine and pastry. She was going to be single forever. She was going to have to spend her weekends playing bridge with her ex-husband and his new wife because the odds were Danny would remarry. He was a man, a Manhattan man and they were as valuable as phoenix feathers. She drummed her nails on the white table cloth and jerked up when the waiter brought her wine.

It looked beautiful sparkling under the candlelight and for a moment she merely observed the burgundy and the crystal glass holding it. Taking a sip she felt her limbs loosen and her mind drift to distant places.

"Lacey Porter?"

Her head snapped up to attend to the owner of the voice. He was about medium height, tousled brown hair and sparkling brown eyes. The sight of him made her lose focus momentarily and she had to take another sip of wine for liquid courage.

"Charlie McBride?" she asked, her gaze sliding over his suit clad shoulders. It looked Italian, nothing that the architects she was acquainted with owned.

"I'm sorry I'm late" he flexed his dimples as he took a seat opposite her, "crazy day at the office, we're working on some project in Las Vegas"

"Nevada?"

"Yeah, I'm flying up there next week to oversee a few things, maybe you could join me?"

"I...uh…" she stumbled on her words, her mind reeling on the things to say to him. Firstly, she was still upset that he had the nerve to show up an hour late for their date then he had the guts to behave as if it was irrelevant. He was too suave and calculating for her taste, quite like Danny's father, Vikram Desai.

"Sir, can I offer you a drink?" the waiter interrupted and Lacey was grateful, she needed time to regroup.

"Yeah, I'll take a scotch on the rocks" Charlie flung the words, his brown eyes fixed on Lacey like a calculating predator.

She lumbered through dinner listening to Charlie's tales about some Egyptian adventures and about his projects. She soon discovered that Charlie liked hearing himself talk and so she sat back and pretended to listen. The ravioli was good and the wine was even better. She had stopped counting after the fourth glass and was quite content to listen to his droning voice over the clank of cutlery and a fading piano.

When they eventually stepped outside into the sweet evening air Charlie made an attempt to kiss her. Lacey froze, the wine making her stagger a little before she slapped his chest with her hand.

"Well, this was fun!" she declared, her cheeks flush from the liquor.

"You wanna share a cab?" he asked. He sure was persistent, she thought as a yellow taxi pulled up in front of them.

"I'm going to Brooklyn, remember?"

"Oh yeah, Williamsburg. Sarita told me you stayed all the way in Brooklyn."

"Yeah and this all-the-way-from-Brooklyn-girl took a cab to Manhattan to meet you"

"You're awesome" he reached for her chin and she casually swatted his hand away and slid into the back of the cab.

"Gotta run" she yelled over the hooting cars and slammed the door behind her. Leaning her head against the headrest, she sighed and closed her eyes. She was going to kill Sarita for setting her up with another Manhattan narcissist.

..

The following day she listened to Sarah Vaughn while she leafed through piles of manuscripts from science fiction to paranormal romance. She curled a strand of hair around her finger and read aloud. Taking a slow sip of coffee, she tried to focus on the words printed on the pages but it was futile. There was no concentrating in New York, between the hipsters swarming the book markets a few blocks from her apartment, Emma's nanny and her student timetable, Danny and his dating crisis and her need for a new client, she was in over her head. Perhaps she should have given into Charlie's false charm and let him to seduce her. She needed a man to loosen the knots in her body.

By the time Danny showed up with their daughter, she was slouched on the couch, a bowl of popcorn on her lap and a romantic movie playing on the TV screen. Pushing pause on Michael Ealy's dimples, she opened the door for her family and took Emma in her arms. Seeing the two of them warmed her heart.

"How was the play date?" she asked Danny as he set Emma's toys and packets of candy on the coffee table.

"Meh, "he shrugged, unzipping his hoodie.

"What she wasn't up to your standards?" Lacey smoothed her daughter's hair, stroking her face but she could tell that Emma was sleepy.

"I have no more standards left. I take what I can get" Danny offered as he threw himself on the couch, he grabbed the remote control and studied it.

"You have literarily turned into a neurotic New Yorker" she shook her head and made her way toward the stairs, Emma cradled in her arms.

"Hi, my name is Danny Desai and I'm a writer"

"Not all writers suffer from the Woody Allen disease" she yelled, ascending the stairs.

"You keep telling yourself that, Dorothy" Danny called back, "I brought the scrabble"

"Why don't you open some wine?" she told him, then added "I'll put this little party monster to bed"

..

They were cuddled on the couch, her head resting on Danny's shoulder as their hands dug into a fresh bowl of popcorn. They had given up on scrabble and were fairly content in watching a Nia Long movie over a bottle of wine. She was rising to her feet for a bathroom break when the oddest thing happened, her lips brushed across his chin and then his lips. She heard Danny take in a hitched breath before his hand reached to cup her chin. Lacey caught his lower lip between her teeth, her tongue sweeping over them before it slipped into his mouth. When he moaned into her mouth, her eyes sprang open and she broke the kiss.

"Well, this is certainly a new chapter in our relationship" Danny breathed, his eyes darting around her face, not quite settling.

"We don't have chapters anymore, this is an epilogue" she teased but her mouth felt dry and she was still shocked. She had just kissed her ex-husband like it was something she did any given day.

"Then it's a very long epilogue" he murmured, his eyes finally resting on hers.

"Maybe you should…" she began.

"I'll go" Danny whispered, his thumb brushing across her parted lips. Shivering at the brush of his fingers, Lacey took a deep breath, her eyes fluttering closed. Danny waited, his lips barely an inch from hers, his gaze still locked onto her lips. He didn't want her to think that kissing her had been a mistake. Honestly he didn't know why he'd done it but it certainly wasn't a mistake.

"Is this you trying to be the bigger person?" she asked breathlessly, her voice stirring a twitch in his groin. He swallowed, silently reprimanding his cock and willing it to behave. She smelled so good and her body felt so right pressed up against his from her rounded hips to her plump breasts. She fit like she was made for him but this was wrong.

"This is me trying to honor your request, even though I'd be much happier kissing the shit out of you" he smiled sheepishly and pushed her hair behind her ear. Puffing out her flushed cheeks, Lacey stared at him long and hard before expelling a long breath. Danny watched as she got up from the couch, brushing popcorn dust off her sweatpants. He threw his head back with a sigh and stared at the ceiling.

"Well…"

"Mind giving me a hand?" he extended his hand to her, his mouth crooking in the corner. With a sigh she rolled her eyes and helped him to his feet.

"Do you want some help cleaning up?" he asked, his fingers tightening around hers. Lifting their interlocked hands to her lips, she touched her lips to his knuckles and looked up at him.

"Danny…" she smiled, shaking her head and without releasing his hand, moved toward the front door. Following her lead, he shoved his free hand in his back pocket and allowed her to usher him out into the warm night. When he was fully over the threshold, Lacey freed his hand and stuck her hands under her armpits. He swallowed thickly, watching the way her hair caught the light.

"Things are not gonna get weird…are they?" he chuckled, motioning between the two of them.

"Nope." She smiled, resting her head against the doorframe.

"Good" Danny said with a nod. He lingered on the porch; raking a hand through his curls and looked at her steadily.

"I love you." He said earnestly because truly she did mean a lot to him. She was not only his ex wife and the mother of his child but she was also his best friend.

"I love you more." Lacey responded, cheek pressed against the door. Watching him walk down to his parked car, she swallowed and heaved a deep sigh.

..

As soon as she shut the door, she leaned against it, closed her eyes and took a big inhale. She had no intention of screwing up her relationship with Danny. The sex had always been great but then so were the problems. She switched off the TV, cleared their glasses from the living room, carried them to the kitchen and ran hot water over them. Leaning against the kitchen island, she stared at Emma's drawings on the front of the fridge while she sipped a cup of chamomile tea to help her relax. When she touched her lips she felt the phantom tingle of Danny's kiss.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Thank you for all your sweet reviews, lovelies. Its good to be back.

* * *

Rays of sunshine danced over the glossy bathroom floor courtesy of the skylight above her head. Slowly Lacey approached the dark wood double sink vanity and turned a wall mounted faucet. As warm water gurgled out, she placed the baby monitor on the marble counter top and leaned over it to get a closer look at her face. She pulled out a fluffy white towel from the bottom shelf of the vanity and dried her hands before moving over to the free standing stone bathtub. She plugged the drain and turned on the faucet, poured bath salts and bath oil into the water and padded back to the mirror. Morning light crowned her head and when she moved the light spiralled down to her high cheekbones, her sharp nose and the thick hair that lay across her brown shoulders and for a moment she looked like an apparition.

Hanging her robe on the back of the door, she stepped inside the bath and slipped under the water where the jet streams was already going. The scent of lavender wafted through the air and prompted her to lean back and close her eyes. The water was warm, soothing and therapeutic, something she desperately needed. Her thoughts quickly drifted to the kiss she'd shared with Danny last night. She played it over in her mind, the softness of his lips when he pressed them against hers, the touch of his hand, the way she'd felt so lightheaded when they broke the kiss.

Before Danny she had doubted the existence of happy endings and who could blame her with the type of upbringing she had. After her father, a divorce attorney ran off with a former client, her mother dated a string of men and ended up with three failed marriages under her belt. Perhaps her mother's dating history had some effect on her and her sister, Clara because she could'nt stomach the idea of relationships and Clara had too many to commit to one person.

Then Danny Desai came along. He had approached her at a friend's party and after a whirlwind romance, they fell pregnant, married because it was the right thing to do and then divorced a year later because as they grew up, they grew apart. Lacey blamed it on the fact that they were still young and searching. Very few people had their lives figured at at twenty three and Danny was still in the throes of celebrating the success of his first book. She was trying to navigate her career as a literary agent and was in over her head. The divorce was amiable and they started calling it uncoupling instead of a divorce because in truth Danny was still her bestfriend and the one person who knew her better than she knew herself. He had a big heart because he gave her the house that he bought with his money even though he didn't have to because it had not been part of the divorce settlement. He was sweet, tender and a great father to Emma. What more could she ask for?

She heard the doorbell but she didn't open her eyes. She knew it was Phoebe, Emma's nanny and that she had her own key. The girl was still young, majoring in political science at NYU but had decided to take a gap year in order to earn extra cash and figure out what she wanted to do with the rest of her life. Lacey had spotted a few books on drama peeking out from Phoebe's backpack and figured that the girl wanted to venture into acting. It was certainly a departure from political science.

When the bell pealed a second and third time Lacey wondered what she had done with the spare key she had given her. With a huff, she climbed out of the bath, water pooling on the floor and grabbed her robe from behind the door. She padded back into her adjoining bedroom, shrugged into her robe and tied its sash. Sliding her feet into a pair of sleepers as an afterthought, she descended the stairs; the tips of her hair still wet from the bath and unlocked the door for Phoebe. When the door swung open, Phoebe stepped over the threshold after wiping her shoes off on the grass mat outside. She was nearly a foot shorter than Lacey's statuesque frame with brown hair that framed a wide forehead with a square jaw line tapering into a pointed chin.

"Hi" Lacey raised her hand to wave because Phoebe had ear buds in both ears. The music was loud enough for Lacey to catch its faint beats as it pumped into Phoebe's ear canal.

Lifting her heavy-lidded eyes, Phoebe croaked back a greeting and shed her quilted jacket, hanging it on the wrought iron coat stand behind the door. She pulled the buds from her ears and turned off her iPod.

"What happened to your key?" Lacey asked clicking the door shut and locking it again.

"Sorry, I spent the night at Spencer's. The key's in my other bag" Phoebe informed her as she raked a hand through her hair, straightening her tank top.

"Aah Spencer the boyfriend." Lacey smiled, walking ahead of Phoebe.

"You gotta watch out for the good ones, they break hearts." She glanced over her shoulder and noticed how flushed Phoebe's cheeks had become. The poor girl was clearly embarrassed.

"Are you heading to the office?" Phoebe asked, her eyes sweeping over Lacey in the white robe.

Moving toward the stairs, Lacey tossed a response "No. I'm going back to the office tomorrow"

As she climbed the stairs she told Phoebe about the freshly squeezed orange juice in the fridge and that Emma was still in her bedroom. Because Phoebe had already arrived to assist her with bathing and dressing Emma, Lacey made her way to her bedroom to finish getting ready for her yet another date. He was a graphic designer that she had met through a dating website but after the date with Charlie she wasn't particularly interested. As she put on a coat of lipstick, she heard the doorbell again and paused, turning away from the mirror to listen to the voices downstairs. She couldn't tell who it was because the voices were muffled and when she heard the echo of footsteps along the hall, her heart jolted. The louder they grew, the faster her pulse. She wondered if it was Danny but she knew how ridiculous that sounded.

Two taps on her bedroom door were followed by a female voice.

Sarita.

With a sigh, Lacey opened the door and was greeted by her petite friend in a very quirky looking beanie.

"This is a surprise." Lacey greeted, pushing aside the thoughts about Danny that had began to creep into her head. She placed her hands on her hips and looked at Sarita whose expression was one of curiosity.

"What?" Lacey asked, looking down at her pink and white training shoes.

"You have camel toe" Sarita stated, arms crossed across her chest. Lacey rolled her eyes and shook her head at Sarita. She grabbed her tote bag and pushed past her friend, directing them downstairs to the kitchen.

"What are you guys doing again?" Sarita asked, glancing around the immaculate kitchen while Lacey tore three sheets of paper towels from the roll on the counter. She wiped scattered bread crumbs off the table top and discarded the paper into the bin before washing her hands with hand-soap.

"Biking through Prospect Park" Lacey responded with a quick look over her shoulder as she dried her hands with even more paper towels.

"Biking as in bicycles?" Sarita's eyebrows shot up, a quirk of a smile teasing her lips.

"Yes."

"For a date?" Sarita reiterated, rolling up the sleeves of her whimsical slogan T-shirt that she had paired with printed pants. She was the quirky bohemian to Lacey's starched preppy-sweet and loved to dress the part.

"Yes."

"A romantic date?"

"Yes." Lacey nodded, opened the fridge and paused with her fingers pressed to her lips as if she was considering the contents of the fridge.

"So there will be no alcohol involved on this date."

"None." Lacey shook her head and reached for a tub of yogurt and a tray of strawberries.

"You will be sober the entire time during this date."

"Yes."

"I don't get it, what's the catch?" Sarita sighed softly, arms crossed.

Dumping the yoghurt and strawberries on the counter, Lacey remarked "There's no catch, it's an activity date."

With a grunt, Sarita rolled her brown eyes "That just sounds stupid."

"You'd be surprised how often people have non-drinking dates." With a shrug, Lacey tossed a few strawberries into a blender and added the contents of the yoghurt before pressing the power button.

"When two adults decide to torture each other by chatting over food or whatever they call a date then it's the responsibility of those adults to make sure that alcohol is involved." Sarita countered.

"Que sera, sera" Lacey chewed on the corner of her lip, her hand holding the lid of the growling blender.

"How was your date with Charlie?"

"Let's just say that setting people up on blind dates is not one of your fortes"

"Was worth the try, right?" Sarita smirked, "Can I be honest?"

"When are you never?" Lacey chuckled and handed her friend a glass of her concoction.

Cocking her head to the right and pursing her lips, Sarita observed with a keen eye and announced, "You have the sex appeal of a wet bath sponge in that get-up."

"Enough about me, what are you doing in Brooklyn anyway?"

"What I can't come to Brooklyn to cheer my very best friend on her date?" she took a gulp of the shake then explained, "I'm buying some fabric and there's a cool shop around this neighbourhood. Plus it's dirt cheap"

"How're things with the doctor, what's his name again?"

"Navid." Sarita mumbled, nose buried inside the glass.

"Yeah, how's everything?"

"Meh…I'm just not gaga over him"

"Has that ever stopped you?"

Sarita had somewhat of a reputation of being a serial dater which to Lacey translated to bold, adventurous and fun, three things she really strived to be.

"I just wanna feel a spark this time. You know, meet a guy at a party, fall pregnant, get married and move to Brooklyn like you."

"Then file for a divorce a year later?"

"Why not? I don't wanna break precedent"

"So I gather you're not bringing this Navid around anytime soon"

"Nah, he's too nice and too normal to fit in our group…and I don't think he'll be around long enough"

"Danny is bringing Rico to that drinks thing on the boat next Sunday."

With a frown, Sarita shot Lacey a cold glare "And you're telling me this because?"

"I don't know." Lacey shrugged her shoulders

"You know how I feel about Danny's friend. He's a geek with acid washed jeans parading around with toddler scruff on his cheeks which he unwittingly thinks is a hot neck-beard and oh there's that stupid come fuck me face he makes all the time. I don't like him."

"You think he has a cum-fuck me face?" a flash of amusement flickered in Lacey's toffee eyes.

"He has a geeky fuck-boy face, if he's scruff isn't enough to say fuck-boy then his perpetual smirk certainly gives him away."

"You know he might be a little fixer upper" Lacey smiled teasingly.

"Or he might just be a douchebag from Queens"

"Actually he just moved to Chelsea, apparently his flower shop is doing quite well."

"I don't care."

..

"You wanna grab pre-cycling lattes?" Wade asked as they stood outside a coffee shop, firmly clutching onto their bicycles. He was tall with a wiry built and a scruffy brown beard that looked more like fuzz. He looked a tad bit pale in person but when he flashed his best smile, she could see the charm.

"Uhm…sure" Lacey shrugged, relaxing her shoulders. He didn't give her a giddy sensation but she attributed the lack of butterflies to last night and her kiss with Danny. It was all she could think about. Wade was country sexy with his southern twang and she wondered how he'd landed up in New York. After purchasing their drinks, one vanilla latte for him and a pumpkin latte for her, they settled down atop a window bench where they could watch people.

"What do you do again?" Wade sipped his coffee, looking at her over the rim.

"Come again?" Lacey asked narrowing her eyes a faction.

After blowing into his cup, he took another sip and repeated "What is it that you do for a living?"

"I'm a literary agent."

"Cool, so you read books and stuff?"

Drumming her fingers at the side of her cup, she looked around the cafe and replied "Yup, that's me. I read books and stuff for a living."

"I'm sort of training for the triathlon." He gestured to the bicycles fitted with frame locks and tied to a rail outside. The date was as slow as the traffic outside and she suddenly realized that she would have much rather stayed home and defrosted her fridge. She made a show of checking her watch, a sign her date missed because he summarily told her some tale about getting his dog neutered.

..

"Did you just take that manuscript into the bathroom with you?" Lacey's forehead puckered and her voice raised several decimals as she stared at the script in his right hand. He was standing in her gray walled hallway, next to the tufted leather bench with a railhead trim. She could see the side of his head in the gilt mirror and the small curls of hair sticking to his skin from the sweltering heat.

"Well yeah, you didn't have anything to read in there" he shrugged, wringing the manuscript in his hands.

Dragging he eyes back to his face, mouth still agape, she stuttered "Uhm...ok…Where you doing a number-uhm…you know what, forget it…" and edged closer to him for fear that he might perform other startling acts with the manuscript. She didn't want him to defile the book any further.

Slapping the manuscript back on the butter-yellow console table next to him, he grinned broadly and added, "It's pretty good by the way."

"Thanks. I'll be sure to relay that to the author." She bit the corner of her lower lip, tucking a hair behind her ear. Her mobile phone rang in her pocket causing her to jump out of her skin. She checked the screen and when she saw that it was Danny, her pulse raced. Holding one finger up to indicate that she would be one minute, she answered the phone.

"You feel like doing something with my parents today?" Danny asked, not waiting for a greeting.

"I realise that there are lot of problems in the country right now, of which most are rather first world problems but your parents shouldn't be one of the problems that I need to deal with" She felt a smile play across her lips but she stifled it, "you know your doting mother sucked the life out of our marriage and your father, well Vikram is just Doctor Evil."

"You really blowing my folks off?" he asked and she sighed, looking out the window at a pair of black bloated garbage bags and several neighbourhood kids passing around a football. An image of Karen in a large white floppy hat sipping mint juleps during the Vineyard summer partiers filled her head and suddenly the idea of spending another long afternoon over a game of tennis and post game cocktails with Danny's parents made her sick. The Desai's were old money Wasps and an afternoon with them was the last thing she wanted.

"I have other plans" she finally replied, moving her eyes back toward Wade. His arms were folded across his chest as he watched her.

"Like what, cleaning your keyboard?"

"I have a date; actually I'm in the middle of said date." She took a deep breath and relaxed her shoulders.

"You have a gentleman caller?" he sounded alarmed and for some reason this thrilled her which was stupid. She'd gone on plenty of dates with Danny's blessing but suddenly it felt awkward having this stranger in her apartment like she was committing a cardinal sin. She couldn't even remember why she had invited him over for a post cycling drink in the middle of the day, maybe she'd felt guilty about not being so attracted to him. Inviting him over for lemonade and cookies had been a way of absolving her guilt.

"That's right." She said in a sing-along voice, color creeping into her cheeks.

"Where's Emma?" he asked, very casually.

"She's outside in the garden with Phoebe."

"Okay, I guess I'll see you on Sunday then."

"Right, the boat thing."

"Are we cool?"

"We're awesome." She smiled, her eyes locking onto Wade and wondering how she was going to get rid of him.

..

"I never buy a woman dinner; it defeats the purpose of trying to get her to bed." Rico said matter of factly as they commandeered a table outside of Barbuto, an Italian restaurant in West Village. The place was crowded with seating already spilling out onto the sidewalk but they didn't mind because it was far too hot to seat inside anyway. The place was great for people watching and Rico proved that as his eyes trailed a trio of women who left a waft of perfume in their wake. The sun was slowly setting behind the tall graffiti coated buildings, casting a milky orange around their heads like a halo.

"Seems a bit douchey to me." Danny replied, already beckoning a brunette waitress who was circulating the tables.

"Hey, if she thinks I'm a douche then I'm doing something right." Rico said with shrug, "Women don't want nice guys, they just say they do. Snub them; it makes them want you more"

Danny ordered duck stuffed ravioli while Rico ordered pasta with parmesan and a side order of glistening pork rinds. They tossed more banter about the etiquette of bedding women until the waitress came back with their drinks. She set a pitcher of beer down on the table along with two glasses then motioned that she'd be right back with their food.

"So, what did you do this past weekend?" Rico asked once the server had left the table. He pulled out a pack of cigarettes and plucked one out.

"I kissed Lacey." Danny admitted in a casual manner but the bob of his Adams apple gave him away.

Rico narrowed his eyes, lighting his cigarette "You did?"

"I did."

"Lacey as in your ex-wife Lacey?"

"That's the one." Danny rubbed the back of his neck, reclining back in his chair. He smoothed the white fabric of the table cloth and waited for Rico to say something.

"Is this going to be a thing now, you going around kissing your ex-wife?" he blew out a tendril of smoke, "Are you two thinking about...you know, getting back together?"

"No, it was a fluke. It won't happen again. I'm just in a dating rut." He replied and hushed the minute the server came back with their food. Danny stabbed bits of his ravioli with a fork and made a comment about the Yankees in a bid to change the conversation. He knew he didn't have to try too hard because Rico got him; they'd been friends long enough for him to know when Danny didn't want to discuss something. Throaty laughter caught their attention and the boys spun around to a pair of girls loitering around their table.

"Hi" they greeted in imperfect unison and Danny caught a flash of breast in a black mesh crop top. His gaze dipped down to the girl's exposed navel and he knew that Rico was doing the exact same thing. She was braless which he figured to be okay because it was brutally hot, butthole-puckering hot, in fact in the unyielding heat he would've preferred to go sans pants himself. The heat was a welcome change from the chill of the past few days. It was early fall but if felt like summer was giving the city its last good-bye, sort of like a mini Indian summer.

"Hey" Rico nodded, eyes darting from the blonde to the brunette and back.

"What's up?" the blonde teased as the two of them glanced down at the table littered with half eaten plates of food and cigarette butts.

"How about we buy you boys some shots of tequila?" she asked and Danny and Rico exchanged glances with each other before turning back to the girls.

"I don't know, it's a school night…" Danny played along, tearing his gaze away from the brunette with halter top straining breasts back to the blonde with glittering green eyeshadow.

"Ah come on, grandpa!" Rico kicked him under the table and gave him a friendly wink.

"I'm Whitney and this is Andie" the blonde giggled, placing both hands on her hips. Danny knew that her intention was to have them look at her hips and her torso in the low rise jeans. Whitney looked like a cheap clone of a Victoria's Secret model with her big blue eyes, pink cheeks and bleach blonde hair but there was something about Andie. She was petite and slim with raven hair that fell over her creamy white shoulders and her eyes were entirely too big and dramatic for her small face. She was definitely a head turner, Danny thought as he took another pull from his beer.

When Rico suggested that the girls to join them Danny discovered that the blonde worked for the Observer as a junior entertainment writer and that Andie was an art major who worked at Christie's Auction House. Several drinks later, Rico was already working his technique and telling the blonde that the bar was getting a little boring and that he had better drinks at his place. As Rico left with Whitney, Andie scooted even closer to Danny.

"You wanna get another round of drinks?" she asked, teasing the ice in her mojito with her straw. Danny thought about inviting her back to his apartment but the thought of trying to clear out Emma's toys from his bedroom and chilling out another bottle of wine turned him off, besides it was late and he was rather tired.

"There's a bar around the corner serving tequila snow cones." She coaxed, tossing her lustrous hair over her shoulder.

"Are you off the market?" Andie asked again, gesturing to the ring firmly planted on his finger. He considered her question, considered the consequences of his response to it. The ring was his security, his shield as equally as it was bait for a certain group of women. He wondered which group Andie fell into.

"I'm on the market." He told her, already thinking about the tequila snow cones and cold shower sex at his place.

..

"Behold, primitive men in their natural habited." Sarita announced as the girls walked inside a sports bar in West Village. They navigated between cramped tables filled with boisterous men and scanned the room for a table. Basketball highlights flashed on the flat screen TV screens hanging from every wall in the place and a long bar was packed with patrons watching the screens. The girls snagged a table outside, a reprieve from the heat but it also allowed Regina the opportunity to smoke her Marlboro cigarettes.

"So, Navid took me to Masa last night." Sarita smiled, taking a menu from their server. Hooking her pink cardigan over the back of her chair, Lacey smoothed the back of her black dress and sat down.

"Ooh, that's fancy." Regina drawled over the deafening buzz of traffic and conversation from neighbouring tables.

"Can I get you ladies something to drink?" the server asked, hovering over them.

"Hey, you got any of those blue craft cocktails with fancy garnish?"

"No. We have beer on tap and wine."

"A glass of chardonnay it is then."

"Make that two" Regina chipped in, raking a hand through her long red hair. She unbuttoned the first two buttons of her shirt, a black lacy bra peeking out from shirt.

"I never thought I'd be one of those people who are impressed by celebrity but I think I squealed a bit when I spotted Ben Stiller with his wife seating across from us." Sarita laughed, looking through her menu.

"Why are you still with this guy? I thought you said the two of you don't click."

"Correction, I said there was no magic. I guess I'm trying him on for size…oh and he has an amazing apartment with great air-conditioning."

"Everyone knows that in this city the right apartment can get you laid." Regina added, fingering her chunky gun-metal necklace. She swung her eyes at the approaching server who was returning to their table with a basket of chips and a fresh tomato salsa.

"Did I mention that he sent me flowers at work?" Sarita interjected, scrunching up her nose.

"Very romantic." Lacey glanced up from her drink.

"Very over the top." Regina blew hair off her forehead.

"My sentiments exactly." Sarita nodded, pointing at Regina with the tines of her fork before picking out a fry.

"You two are being ridiculous, a guy pulls a big romantic gesture and you think that he's corny." Lacey shook her head with a chuckle and picked out a fry from the mustard soaked tangle on her plate.

"Orchestrated public displays of affection are stupid." Regina explained as she plucked out an ice cube from a silver wine bucket and sucked it into her mouth.

Whipping her head around to look at Lacey, Sarita asked "How was your date with the graphic designer?"

"Awful," Lacey leaned closer to the table, her voice dropping a few decimals "he left a floater in my bathroom."

"He laid a number two at your house?" Regina broke in with mock terror in her eyes.

"I mean, this is the thing. Women will hold out as long as possible for such an…an intimate act and this guy who I barely know from a bar of soap comes into _my_ house and stinks up the place in two seconds." Lacey blushed, squeezing her eyes shut and waving off the image of Wade in the middle of her hallway.

"Maybe he's just a casual kinda guy, loose, no rules" Regina remarked with a shrug of her shoulders like she didn't see what the big deal was.

"It's etiquette. I'm sure there's a rule against oversharing on a first date…much like burping, passing wind or eating off his plate. It's just not done." Lacey argued, her finger sliding up and down the stem of her wine glass.

Leaning back in her chair, Regina sighed and noted "You're rules-girl, Lace and nobody wants to fuck a rules-girl."

"What about him?" Lacey motioned with her chin to one of the guys seated at the bar, he looks like he might have boundaries and I appreciate men with boundaries."

She smiled, meeting his eyes from across the bar but Sarita broke her spell by pinching her arm playfully.

"No, you don't want that. He walks like he has a fucking vagina." Regina countered with her own cock-block recipe.

Lacey paused, glaring at Regina before looking around the table behind them to check if Regina's voice had carried to the other diners. Whipping her head back to the brunette, she responded with a delicate "Oh but he's got such a lovely smile, he could be the one"

"Or he could be a freak." Sarita chipped in as she thumbed through her leather bound menu looking for something else to order.

"Or a catch." Lacey broke in and tried to look over Sarita's head at the sexy Ivy-leaguer at the bar.

"Oh he's definitely a freak; you can see that from a mile away." Sarita reaffirmed, taking another long sip from her glass.

"Hey, isn't that Danny with a woman?" Regina asked, motioning across the crowded street to a couple hopping into a yellow cab.

"I bet she can bounce quarters off her ass." Regina jested, her eyes still locked onto the couple. She was attractive, Lacey could tell by looking at the back of her head as Danny assisted her into the cab with his hand firmly on her lower back. She was also typically Manhattan beautiful; right down to her pink Manalo Blahniks. Lacey swallowed past the lump in her throat and took another sip of wine.

"Does it ever get weird?" Sarita shot her friend a curious look.

"What?" Lacey coughed, nearly spewing her wine across the table.

"Does it ever get weird seeing him with other women?" Sarita repeated.

A flush mounted Lacey's cheeks as she looked into her glass, "We're divorced." She replied, trying to regain her composure.

"Yes but you two have a child together."

"We're friends, very good friends and I wish him all the best…really I do." She responded, still not quite able to look at her friends in the eye.

"Yeah, you know it wasn't you right, it was him. He fucked up the relationship with his non-committal ass after the fact." Regina commented, teasing the rim of her glass with her finger. She paused to stare into the glass before lifting it to her lips but she didn't take her eyes off the cab for even a minute.

"Non-committal? He committed, he married her!" Sarita argued.

"Only because she was pregnant and then one morning he woke up and realized that oops, I don't wanna be married anymore."

"It wasn't him, it was us." Lacey quietly corrected Regina.

"Okay, enough chick-flick drama!" Regina waved the topic away with her hand, her chunky cocktail ring winking in the light," what do you think his dick looks like?" she pointed to a keen looking frat boy lining up shots at the bar.

"I bet he's got one of those long pencil dicks with…"

"Danny kissed me last night or rather I kissed him, I can't remember. It gets fuzzy after the first tingle." Lacey blurted, interrupting their game.

"There was a tingle?" Sarita raised an eyebrow.

Dropping her gaze back to the knot of fries, Lacey admitted "Yes, there was a tingle."

"This calls for a cigarette"

Lacey heard Regina say but her head was already swimming. Everything was a mess, the way her pulse hastened when she saw Danny with the brunette, the way her mouth dried up when she wished it was her wrapped up in his arms like that. She expelled a breath and lifted her chin. She had to try and figure everything out.


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N: A little warning, this chapter might bruise a little Dacey hearts but its all part of the story lovelies. With regards to my other Dacey fics, I promise that I have not forgotten about them but the muse is a funny animal who strikes when she wants to strike._

..

Andie leaned over the bed to kiss him, her long jet black hair falling over her shoulder. Danny's eyes opened, adjusting to the sunlight spilling into her bedroom. He caught a tantalizing whiff coffee and propped himself up on his elbows.

"Morning, "she smiled looking down at him through her long bangs.

"Hey, "he opened with a strained cough and glanced down at the mug of coffee in her hand. Taking the coffee on offer, he stripped off the sheets covering his naked body and swung his feet off the mattress then wrapped another sheet around his mid-section. He burrowed his fingers through his dishevelled hair and took his first sip of coffee to ease his grumbling stomach. Looking around the room, he took in the antique Asian nightstands topped with figurine lamps and a three-tier rolling bar cart loitering nearby. He'd hardly had a chance to view her place last night after all those drinks they had ingested. After considering taking her back to his place, he'd decided against it and accepted her offer for a night cap in her apartment. Danny figured that this move would make her more comfortable and he wouldn't have to deal with the awkward morning after of waiting for her to leave.

"You look different." He noted, his eyes sweeping over her body in a black chiffon high neck blouse and a black leather pencil skirt that skimmed her narrow hips to perfection.

"Is that a complement?"

"I like the business look." He replied with a shrug and took another sip of coffee. It wasn't bad coffee but it wasn't Lacey-good coffee. There was something about the way Lacey poured cream into his coffee tat gave it an extra edge, too k it to that level of greatness. He walked across the bedroom to find his clothes piled up on a couch by the window.

"Can I ask you something?" Andie jolted him from his thoughts.

"Sure"

"Why do wear the wedding ring? You did say that you're on the market." She bit her lip, placing both hands on her hips, "You're not someone's lawfully wedded husband are you?"

He bent over to pick up his clothes off the floor then straightened up and looked at her, "What if I was? "He asked.

"What if you were married?" she chuckled, slipping into a pair of black stilettoes.

Shrugging into his shirt, Danny paused to ask "Would that make last night the punch line of a bad joke?

"Yes and then I'd kick you out" she replied pointedly.

"After the fact?"

"It wouldn't it matter if it was after the fact" she assured him as he slid into his jeans and sneakers. When Danny straightened up again, he set his mug down on a night stand and raked both hands through his hair. It was an awkward moment of him wanting to leave but not knowing what to say exactly in order to weasel out of her apartment.

Sensing his unease, Andie gestured with her hand toward the kitchen "I'm going to work but you can help yourself to some eggs and bacon in the fridge."

"You barely know me and you leave me alone in your apartment?"

"Are you going to rob me and clean me out?"

"You never know."

"I'll take my chances." She eyed him as he scratched the back of his head.

Nodding his head, Danny brushed past her and existed her bedroom "Okay but I should really get going too."

"You're not gonna take a shower?"

"I'll take my chances with the subway. I might as well contribute my own stench to the general stink of feet and wet dog" he smiled with a shrug and watched as she unlocked her front door, undoing several latches before dragging the door open.

They were quiet as they descended the stairs of her apartment building, each lost in their own thoughts. Danny was already breaking down the points for the chapter he had to draft that day and the call he had to make to his agent. When they finally joined the hordes of people streaming down the sidewalk, Andie paused and grabbed his hand just as he was preparing to slip through the crowd.

"Hey, I have tickets to a Knicks game if you're interested." She yelled over the traffic noise and just like that she transformed what was meant to be a one night stand into a basketball game date because how could he say no to Knicks tickets.

..

Lacey thought about the manuscripts in her memory stick, the ones that would never see the light of day. She'd been rejected once by a publishing house and once was more than enough. Like her mother always liked to tell her, those who can't do, teach.

She scooted in her chair and hunched over her laptop reading the words on her screen. Jo peeked into her office, tapping her knuckles softly against the door.

"How was your vacay?" she asked as she stepped inside Lacey's office.

With a sigh, Lacey leaned back against her chair and picked up bottle of water from her desk "I spent two days at home. That's hardly what one would call a vacation."

"And what about your project?" Jo asked, settling in a chair ion front of Lacey.

"Well, let's just say it's like looking for a needle in a haystack." She waved a hand over her chaotic desk, pointing at her laptop.

"I was talking about your husband hunting." Jo reiterated.

"A. Its not husband hunting because I doubt I'll ever go down that road again, I'm just looking for someone to spend the occasional Saturday night indoors with a movie and a bottle of wine. If he rubs my feet it would certainly be appreciated but it's not mandatory. B. By the looks of things I'm betting my future involves bridge, Danny and who ever he'll be married to at the time."

"That bad huh?" Jo raised an eyebrow, picking up a silver framed photo from the desk. She examined the picture of Danny giving Emma a piggy back ride then showed it to Lacey.

"Maybe this is the problem." She stated, not a note of humour in her voice.

"Danny giving Emma a piggy back ride is the problem?"

"A photo of Danny on your desk is the problem. You're supposed to be divorced."

"Divorced or not, Danny is still family." Lacey argued and snatched the photo out of Jo's hand. They were silent for a while, Jo starring at Lacey and Lacey averting her eyes because deep down she knew that Jo was right. The ping of Lacey's phone interrupted the Mexican standoff. She caught the gleaming screen on its second buzz and swiped the screen to read the text. It wasn't a text but rather a bathroom shot of Wade's dick lit by the flash of his mobile phone.

"What woman started this trend, "Lacey exhaled and rolled her eyes, "What fucking woman out there said yes, oh yes please send me a picture of your shrivelled little dick that I never asked for?

"It's called cyber courtship." Jo replied with an amused snort when Lacey turned the screen so that Jo could view the picture.

"That bitch doomed us all." Lacey huffed, tossing the phone back on the desk.

..

"This is Andie Hang, "Danny made the introductions, "Andie this is Lacey."

"Hi." Andie thrust out her hand and Lacey took it in a limp shake.

"Hi" she grinned, her eyes darting from Danny to Andie. She had never officially met any of Danny's girlfriends before and this was new for her and she wasn't quite sure she liked whatever she was feeling either. Lacey's eyes roamed over Andie in her coy little floral dress and pin-straight black hair. She had a body molded by Pilates, pole dance classes and any other boutique-fitness trending in Manhattan. Glancing down at her own body, Lacey realized that she hadn't been going to spinning classes as much as she ought to have been going. She drove past her old SoulCycle studio nearly every morning when she was heading to Starbucks for a latte and a poppy-seed muffin but she never attended any classes. Perhaps she was more suited to yoga, she thought as she took another sip of champagne. She locked eyes with Danny and smiled too brightly.

"Would you excuse me?" Andie tapped his arm, "I see an old acquaintance of mine"

"Sure." He returned her smile as she pecked his cheek with a chaste kiss.

"She seems really nice." Lacey commented once she was sure that Andie was out of ear shot.

"Yeah…I think she could be." He replied hoarsely, his gaze flickering down to her breasts. As if scolding himself, he clenched his eyes shut and took another liberal sip of champagne. He scanned the crowd and grabbed Lacey by the elbow, leading her away from the clusters of people. He wanted to find a private place to talk to her amidst the crowd. When he found a nook that he was satisfied with, he took another sip from his glass and smiled nervously.

"I hope you don't mind that I brought a date." He began.

"Not at all" she eased her lips into another laboured smile but her eyes were drawn to his lips, his soft lush lips. The same lips she had kissed a few nights back. She remembered their tease, coy like a virgin before sucking the air right out of her lungs. She had sparked like a match then, hadn't she?

Repressing the urge to kiss him again, she slapped her clutch against his chest and smiled, "I'm going to get out of your hair and let you bond with your girl."

"Are you okay?"

"I'm great. As a matter of fact, I'm fabulous." She smiled, trying to keep her voice light.

…

A short while later Lacey leaned against the railing, watching Danny at the front of the boat as he chattered with an ever giggling Andie. She realized that she'd been smiling so much that her cheeks hurt.

Patting her cheeks lightly in order to get some feeling back in her face, Lacey frowned and gestured toward the couple with her head "Christ, look at her. She's a fucking Helen of Troy. The face that launched a thousand ships"

"I have an idea, "Sarita shoved her sunglasses up, pushing back her curls which looked burnt gold in the glowing sunlight, "I say we find a club, hit the dance floor and cut a rug as soon as we dock."

Servers balancing flutes of champagne on silver trays weaved between them and Lacey sought a few canapés from a passing server and launched one into her mouth.

"I have a child Sarita, I can't just go cut a rug whenever I feel like it."

"Your loss." Sarita shrugged and eased back into the crowd leaving Lacey alone to her own devices. Lifting her glass for another gulp, Lacey felt some tension ease as she watched the water. She opened her napkin and plucked out another canape and threw it into her mouth but the salmon caught in her throat. She coughed, drained her glass and looked around for another tray of champagne.

"Here, you look like you might need something to quench your thirst." A voice sounded behind her and when she turned around, she was starring into a perfect pair of honey- brown eyes. Her gaze dropped down to his full sensuous lips before gliding onto a pair of broad shoulders stretching the fabric of a powder blue shirt.

"Harper Underwood." He stuck out his hand for a handshake.

Returning his warm handshake, she smiled "Lacey Porter."

..

"What's going on over there?" Rico sidled up next to Danny and nudged him with his elbow. Danny merely shrugged but his gaze didn't move from Lacey and the man she was standing with.

"Is that Harper Underwood?" Rico continued much to Danny displeasure.

"Uh...I think so." He responded hurriedly and shifted his eyes to look elsewhere. He knew exactly who Harper Underwood was but he just wasn't ready to admit that his Lacey had captured the eye of someone like Harper-not that Lacey couldn't garner Harper's attention-Danny just didn't like seeing it. The kiss played in his mind again, the kiss that had been a mistake according to her. He shook the thoughts away and found Andie in the crowd, cutting her way through knots of people to get back to him.

"Well it's a good thing you're no longer in the running for her because I doubt you'd win against Harper Underwood." Rico said wisely before remarking "I see you brought last night's dessert with you."

"Yeah, she's…cute."

"Aha, well her friend was a big miss. I mean fucking her was like boning a block of ice."

"Who hurt you?" Sarita asked, creeping out from behind him.

Whipping his head around, Rico looked her up and down with a startled look in his eye "Where the hell did you come from?"

"Who hurt you? I mean who screwed you up so much that it's basically fucked your relationship with women?"

"My relationship with women is just fine." He backed away from her, his eyes darting to Danny and silently pleading for him to help.

"You mean you using them to boost your self-esteem?" she poked his chest with her finger, "you're an asshole" and with that she turned back and made her way toward Lacey and Harper Underwood.

..

"Hi, I'm Sarita." She barged in between Lacey and Harper, offering her hand for a handshake.

"Harper." He smiled, obliging her then looked back at Lacey.

With a generous smile, he nodded and took his leave "Ladies."

"Do you know who that was?" Sarita launched her questions as soon as Harper left.

"Uhm Harper Underwood?" Lacey replied dumbly, her brows furrowed.

"Yeah, Harper Underwood is a former wide receiver for the Chicago Bears." Sarita explained, hardly able to contain her excitement, "Now he just hosts a football show on ESPN but still he's fucking Harper Underwood."

"Look at him, he has cuddy buddy written all over him." She turned and watched him talk to a number of guests.

"Sarita." Lacey groaned, rolling her eyes.

"Weren't you the one complaining about the shortage of men in your little dating pool?"

"It's more like a dating puddle." Lacey countered.

"Exactly and now the good Lord has seen fit to bless you with a fine ass chocolate specimen like Harper Underwood." Sarita smiled, snatching two glasses of champagne from a waiter.

Handing the glasses to Lacey, she urged her on and grinned "Take this glass over to that man and thank me later."

..

 _A/N: Next chapter will be longer. I promise._


	4. Chapter 4

Okay, this was it. She could either sink or swim.

Taking a lungful of breath, Lacey weaved between the crowds, her dress billowing around her knees in the breeze as she made her way toward Harper. Chewing the corner of her bottom lip, she tapped his shoulder and smiled when he turned around to face her. She still couldn't get over how tall, broad and powerful he was.

"Hello again" she grinned, craning her neck to look up at him.

"Hi"

Handing him a glass of champagne, she said "I thought that I might return the favor."

"Who says romance is dead?" he chuckled, a husky timbre in his voice as he took the glass on offer.

"You're welcome"

His eyes roved over her body as he took a sip from the glass "Speaking of getting into the romantic spirit-"

"Oh is that what we were talking about?" Lacey smiled and raised a hand to shield her eyes from the sun.

"Yes."

Pressing her lips tightly together, she smiled as a flush crept into her cheeks "Uhm…Ok."

"By the way, champagne goes great with oysters." He stated his eyes warm and lazy under the beating sun and she spotted a mischievous glimmer when he lifted his glass to his lips.

"Is that a fact?"

"I know a nice oyster bar in Midtown. They serve the best oysters in Manhattan"

"I have a child." She blurted.

"I like children." He countered quicker than she had anticipated.

"What I mean to say is, I- uhmm have to get back home." She lifted her hand to push back the hair the breeze was tossing about her face.

With a resigned sigh, Harper fished a business card out of his shirt pocket and gave it to her, "When you have a hankering for real great oysters, give me a call." He stated then slowly walked away slipping into the crowd. Lacey dropped her gaze and stared at the contents of the card before fanning herself with it.

..

Phoebe left as soon as Lacey arrived and she had just enough time to feed Emma, give her a bath and read her a bedtime story before falling asleep next to her. Her daughter's bed was small and so her feet were hanging over the edge but she didn't care. She needed this tonight. Pulling Emma closer to her, she buried her nose in her dark curls and smelled her scent.

While Emma slept, Lacey stared at the glow in the dark butterflies on the walls and ceiling and her mind churned with thoughts about Danny and the date he'd brought to the party. He looked happy and she was happy that he looked happy wasn't she?

..

She woke up to Emma's face and her tiny hands clutching her ears. Smiling weakly, she closed her eyes again and reached out to brush back Emma's hair. She willed herself to get up, feed her daughter and to start her day.

Ten minutes later they were downstairs in the kitchen preparing for the day ahead. Lacey placed a bowl of oatmeal in the microwave and retrieved a carton of milk from the fridge. She tied the sash around her silk robe as she waited for the microwave to finish warming up the food and opened the laptop that had been sitting on the island. When the microwave finally dinged, she sat down in front of Emma who had been playing with a cloth dinosaur and proceeded to feed her. With her attention split between the task of feeding her daughter and reading her e-mails, she didn't notice when Emma spit out her food but by the time she looked up, Emma had knocked her bowl over, throwing it on the floor.

"I'm so sorry our food is not up to scratch for you, madam. Perhaps you'd like to try the tasting menu at the French Laundry?"

Emma laughed and Lacey softened and attempted to feed her again until she finished the oatmeal. She heard the front door open and click shut again, followed by footsteps headed toward the kitchen.

"Hey there." Phoebe greeted, pulling a pair of earphones out of her ears. Rock music soared from the earphones until she turned off her iPod.

"Just in time." Lacey smiled and rose to her feet.

"Listen thanks for staying late last night. You're a godsend."

"No problem." Phoebe sighed, dumping her backpack on top of the counter and stuffing her iPod inside.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, just had a late night." Phoebe pulled her hair back into a tight pony-tail and then picked up Emma, setting her on her right hip.

"Spencer again?" she asked giving her nanny a sympathetic smile.

"No. Adam. We have an acting class together and he was helping me with my lines."

With a nod, Lacey patted Phoebe's back and gestured to the door "Okay, well have a good day. I'm off to take a shower and get ready for work."

Once she was up in her bedroom, Lacey stared at her mobile phone after taking a shower and considered calling Harper. Her gut tightened at the newness of another man and she wasn't sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing. Technically Harper wasn't a blind date or a set up and she didn't have to worry about a lack of chemistry because there was plenty of it, truck loads of it in fact. She laughed nervously and rooted around her purse for his business card then picked up her phone. She took a deep breath and hesitated for a second before dialling.

"Hi." She greeted first as soon as Harper picked up.

"Hello"

"It's Lacey…uhm…we met at the-"Her gaze dropped back down to the card in her hand.

"I remember you." He interrupted her explanation and she heard the smile in his voice.

Straightening her back, she took a deep breath and asked "Would you like to have lunch with me?"

"I'd love to."

After they agreed on a time and place, she hung up the phone and stared at it a moment longer before deciding what to wear. It had to be an outfit that would carry her from the office, possible meetings with clients and a date with a potential boyfriend. With a chuckle she shook her head and scoffed at the term boyfriend. She built her outfit around a beaded Oscar de la Renta skirt, added a robin's egg blue long sleeved top and yellow stacked-heel sandals.

..

She met Harper outside a trendy little restaurant in Chelsea. The place had a strict no reservations policy and the lines out the door were testament to that. New Yorkers always wanted what they couldn't have and regardless of their impatience the no reservations trend was all the buzz around the city. Lacey squared her shoulders, sucked in her stomach and proceeded to look for her date in the sea of faces.

"There she is!" Harper called, stepping to her as she hurried forward to greet him. He stood tall before her, solid and masculine.

"Am I late?" she grinned, glancing at her watch. He took off his sunglasses and tucked them into the neckline of his shirt.

"Never." He smiled and gestured to the door. There were at least six people in front of them and she wondered how long it would take to seat them. He said something else but his voice was carried away by the traffic noise. When they finally were at the front after a party of two and a party of four were seated, she exhaled and felt the beginning grumbles of an empty stomach. A server led them to their table, past big bubbling tanks filled with live lobsters and large potted plants enlivening the space. They wandered past a bar upfront with Harper's hand on her lower back gently guiding her until they reached a horseshoe shaped dinging area where the server found them a table tucked away from the hustle. Harper pulled out a chair for her and gestured for her to take a seat.

Ten minutes into their champagne the inevitable question she had been waiting for came when he looked up at her over the rim of his glass.

"You didn't know who I was when I met you at the party did you?" he asked, his lips pulling back into a smile.

"I don't follow football" she sweetly apologised, "Were you offended?"

"No as a matter of fact I liked it." He leaned back in his chair, a smile tweaking the edges of his lips, "You had no preconceived notions abut me. You took me at face value."

"I did."

"And now?"

"I'll try not to put you on a pedestal." She smirked, leaning back in her chair so that the server could place the oysters on the table in front of her. The oysters were served on a bed of crushed ice and looked delightfully appetizing.

"How long have you been single?"

"What makes you think that I'm single?" Lacey squeezed lemon over an oyster and then slurped it down from its shell.

"There' no wedding ring on your finger unless you took it off."

"Ah the wedding ring, the perfect symbol of union and togetherness." She chuckled, shaking her head and dotting her lips with her napkin.

"Two years. I was married for one" she finally replied watching the bubbles shoot up in her glass.

"And he let you get away?" Harper raised an eyebrow, teasing her.

"He didn't have a choice." She glanced up at him and smiled before taking another gulp of champagne.

"You sure you don't want to try some lobster. They're fresh from the tank."

"I'm good but thank you."

"At least try the beef Carpaccio." He suggested, "If you're worried about getting something stuck in your teeth, trust me I won't mind. I won't hold a little spinach in your teeth against you. I might even find it sexy."

"Oh you are smooth, my brotha." Lacey laughed, amused by his candour.

"You think I'm smooth?"

"Smoother than jazz."

"Must be the Chi-Town in me."

"Well the jig is up"

"Then I have no more tricks up my sleeve." He chuckled, tugging his sleeves for effect.

"Can I just eat pretend?" she asked, her finger circling the rim of her glass.

Leaning forward with his elbows on the table, he said "You're cute."

"I try." Lacey countered and took another sip of her champagne.

"It's nice to see you smile. You have a beautiful smile"

An even bigger smile spread across her face as she beamed, "Thanks."

..

Danny passed wooden apple crates loaded with fresh produce as he entered the industrial warehouse of a restaurant in the Meatpacking District. He glanced at a menu scribbled in chalk that hung over the bar listing the day's specials and combed through the restaurant, past the trendy patrons texting absently on their phones to hone in on Andie seated at a white washed wooden table. She raised her hand and beckoned him over.

"It was a three legged race to the bed." She laughed, giving Danny the pleasure of catching the tail end of her conversation. More tinkling laughter was followed by protests and finally she told the person on the other end that she had to go because Danny had arrived. He quirked an eyebrow, surprised that his name was uttered in casual conversations with her friends. She looked cute and willowy in a green dress sprinkled with red colored roses and the green of her dress complemented the pastel green of the chair she was sitting in.

"Hey you. "she smiled and leaned over the table to kiss him. Danny mumbled a greeting and took his seat across from hers.

"You're late. You better make up for it later." She said cheerfully, her hand seeking out her glass of white wine.

"I had a meeting with my editor."

"How's the writing going?" she asked, motioning for the waiter.

"You know great, good."

Running a manicured finger along the white peter pan collar of her dress, she asked "You hungry?"

"Not particularly."

"Well you can't just make me eat by myself."

When a waiter reached their table with pad and pencil at the ready, Danny looked up at him and warily picked up the one page menu resembling a newspaper.

"Would you like me to order for you? It will be easier and faster."

He shrugged his indifference and put the menu aside. With a delightful smile playing across her lips, Andie ordered a large Peking duck salad with tangerine orange dressing and two glasses of white wine. When the waiter left she leaned forward and put her hand on Danny's thigh but had to halt whatever idea she was imagining because a girl in her late teens stood at their table wearing a big grin directed at Danny.

"Hi" she stuck out her hand and Danny had no other choice but to shake it.

"Hello" he returned her smile, his gaze darting to Andie and then back to the girl in the oversized t-shirt and horn rimmed glasses.

"You're Danny Desai. I love your work and I have read _We are Reborn_ over and over again. "

"Thank you." He said politely.

"Would you mind signing my napkin?" she pushed it toward him across the table and waited.

"Of course." He patted his pockets looking for a pen and before he could ask Andie for one, his fan had produced a pen for him. Scribbling down an illegible scrawl, he handed the napkin back to the girl and nodded.

"Thanks enjoy the rest of your meal." She smiled and hurried back to her table where her friends waited.

"Does that happen often?" Andie asked as soon as the girl left.

He shrugged his shoulders in response and sat up as the waiter approached with their drinks. Andie waited until the waiter left their table before leaning in, smiling at Danny.

"Listen, thank you for taking me to the boat party on Sunday. I had fun."

"So did I."

She smiled at him over the rim of her fresh glass, her eyes glowing, calculating before she said, "Uhm…the woman you introduced me to at the party….uhm…you two seemed to be in a deep riveting conversation for a while there."

"It wasn't that riveting, trust me." Danny picked up his glass and admired the golden straw color of the wine before taking a sip.

"Okay. Is she a colleague?"

"She's my ex-wife."

"Are you two still close?" she asked, picking up her fork to stab a spear of asparagus.

"If by close you mean do we spend Thanksgiving and Christmas together then yes, we're pretty close."

"Wow, that's admirable. I don't think I can ever remain friends with an ex."

Danny shrugged and tugged the leaf of a small flower pot decorating their table.

"Do you have any kids?" Andie asked.

"Yeah, we have a daughter."

"How old is she?"

"Three."

"And how long have you been divorced?"

"Two years."

Sensing that he was getting tiresome of the conversation, she smiled brightly and announced, "Hey, you wanna catch a show tonight? I have tickets to Aladdin."

"I cant. I'm having drinks with my agent."

"Cool."

He picked up the nearly empty glass of wine in front of him, considered his next sentence and then drained it.

"Tell you what, why don't I stop by later and make up for today?"

..

"Is it a pee-pee?"

"You think? Did a smelling test tell you that?" Lacey stood at the door, holding a cup of coffee in one hand. It had been two days since her date with Harper and she was yet to hear from him beyond the obligatory I had a great time text. Perhaps the thought of dating a woman with an ex-husband and a kid scared him off and if that was the case then all she could say was good riddance.

"Nope. It's a pooh-pooh" she announced as soon as Danny made the reveal.

"Will you look at that thing? It's as big as my arm!"

"You wanna do the honors?" she gestured to a pack of diapers nearby.

"I walked straight into that one didn't I?" he flushed pink, looking from the diapers to Lacey.

"At least her poo doesn't smell like hangover. Another date with Angie?" she asked coolly, blowing into her coffee.

"It's Andie."

"Right." She smiled and looked at her feet. After a beat, she looked up again, her eyes brilliant under the lights. His eyes traced her shoulders before inching back toward her face.

"Lacey-"he began, his voice rough but she shook her head not wanting him to continue.

"When are we gonna start potty training her?" she asked, pulling the left strap of her dress back up her shoulder.

"Listen about the other day on the boat when I brought Andie…if you uncomfortable in any way-"

"I'm fine."

"Good, I mean I know that I've never actually brought anyone around you. I uh…you've never actually had to come face to face with the women I dated so-"

"Danny, I'm fine."

Aching to divert the conversation elsewhere, she went to the packet of clothes Danny had bought for Emma and rifled through the clothes while he pulled up a diaper between his daughter's legs and pinned it in place.

"Look at that, daddy bought you stripper heels." Lacey smiled, holding up a tiny pair of clear mary-jane shoes. Danny laughed, blowing a raspberry on Emma's stomach before straightening back up to admire his handy work of changing a diaper.

"It's too loose." She observed.

"No, it's not." He smiled, picking up Emma. With his daughter on his hip, he leaned over his backpack and pulled out a manuscript.

"Here." He handed it over to Lacey.

"What's this?" she asked taking it reluctantly.

"The first draft," actually it's only the first three chapters of the first draft. I'd like you to take a look at them for me."

"Oh you're still doing that writing thing?"

"Hmm well I mean I'm not a real writer, I just play one on TV."

With a sigh, she looked from the script in her hand to Danny "Danny, I'm not your sounding board."

"What?"

"You can't just drop this on my lap and expect me to find the time to critique it."

"But this is what we do we bounce ideas off each other."

"And I have a lot on my plate." She replied then considered it before hugging it against her chest, "Just this one time." She told him.

"Thank you, "he nodded and then glanced at his daughter who leaned her head against his shoulder, "Look at her; it's the quiet before the storm."

As soon as they reached the lounge downstairs, he threw a diaper bag onto his shoulder and leaned over to kiss Lacey's forehead with a loud smack.

"You wanna get in on this?" she pointed to a pizza lying on the coffee table. She took out a slice from the box and took a bite. Her tongue flicked out to lick the sauce on the corner of her lip and the electricity in this small act made him shiver so much so that he knew that he had to high-tail it out of there.

"I gotta run." He said huskily.

"You sure?" she asked, sucking on her finger.

Fighting the moan rumbling in the back of his throat, he smiled and opened the door.

"Later" she called behind him, completely unaware of the effect she had on him.

..

The cab jerked to a halt in front of a brownstone in Brooklyn. Dressed in a Pollock print silk dress underneath a summer coat, Lacey ambled up the small steps leading to the front door and buzzed the apartment for Samantha and Cole, old friends from her coupledom days with Danny.

As soon as she was buzzed up, she took the elevator and tightened her hold around the wrapped box she intended to give Samantha as a birthday present. When she stepped out of the empty elevator, she found the apartment easily enough as the muffled sound of voices and music flowed out into the hallway. She opened the door and was met with crowds trickling from the lounge to the foyer. Music poured out into the foyer as she took off her coat and looked frantically for the coat room. She waded through knots of people toting around glasses of wine and proceeded to peer over their heads trying to find Samantha. She navigated her way around people nodding and smiling politely and exchanging a word or two with those she was familiar with.

She found a baseball-capped Danny in the crowd and gave him a big affectionate smile. It was like being lost at sea and finally discovering a piece of land. Samantha found her in the kitchen, coat thrown over her arm, the gift tucked under another arm and a glass of wine in her hand.

"Have you read Cole's latest book?" she asked as she escorted Lacey to a bedroom they were using as a coatroom for the evening" It's very violent and sexual."

"That sounds riveting." Lacey said graciously. Cole and Samantha had met at a silent-reading party five years ago and married shortly after. They were quirky and fun at their best but neurotic and annoying at their worst. Lacey never spent that much time with them after the divorce and figured that Danny could lay claim to them as friends since he knew Cole from college.

"Cole is looking for new representation if you're interested."

"Me?"

"Yes you. We think you're a great agent Lacey."

When they returned from the bedroom where Samantha accepted her gift they wandered back into the party and met up with Regina who was conversing with Danny.

"What are you doing here?" Lacey asked her friend, surprised to see her there.

Gesturing behind her with her glass, Regina simply said "I'm his date."

Lacey followed her gaze to the kitchen where a tall brunette man stood admiring several women as they gathered around the space, eating off small plates and refilling their glasses. Lacey shook his head and whirled around to Samantha's husband as he approached them with Danny in tow. Cole greeted them with a nervous energy, loosening his tie and gripping his glass tightly.

After her second glass of wine, Lacey began to relax and enjoy the light conversation with her friends. Someone dimmed the lights and Cole brought out an elegant purple cake topped with lit candles that he set on top of a ling dining table. Samantha laughed and kissed her husband then bent over the cake, holding her hair back as she blew out the candles.

"Are they dressed alike?" Danny whispered, bumping his shoulder against Lacey's shoulder.

"Thank God we were never that couple." She scoffed and took another sip from her glass.

"Yeah. Do you miss it?" he asked.

Shooting him a questioning look, she asked "Miss what?"

"What we were as a couple?"

"You mean before the wedding because after we said those vows maaaaaan-"she shook her head and looked away.

"Okay, I get it." He stopped her and broke into a smile, "Remember that tiny bathroom stall on our flight from Atlanta?"

"You mean when your dick got caught in your zipper?"

"Entirely your fault by the way."

"I was trying to tease you by lowering the zipper tooth by tooth. You omitted to tell me you were going commando."

"That was my fuck underwear era." He chuckled, taking a large sip of wine.

Lacey stared at the contents of her glass before asking, "You ever do it?"

"Do what?"

"Join the mile high club?"

"What?"

"Well I mean there've been so many Serenas, Rachels and Andies. I figured that you must have finally-"

"Are you calling me a slut?"

"Heavens no, I wouldn't want to slut shame you." She laughed and reached for a bottle of wine just as Danny did the same. Their fingers met around the neck of the bottle, threading around each other. Her body stiffened, her heart pounding wildly but she dared not look up at him. Her eyes followed his hand as it moved overs hers, his thumb poised over her skin. The peal of his cell phone startled them and Lacey snatched away her hand, stepping back from him.

Danny cleared his throat and motioned with his finger, "I'll be right back."

"Hi." He spoke into the phone, marching out into the balcony and away from the thumping music and voices.

"Hey, you."

"Hi." He repeated himself.

"You feel like sleeping with my ass pushed up against you tonight?"

"As tempting as that sounds I'm uhm...uh…at a friend's book thing." He stammered, his eyes tracking Lacey as she moved away from the table laden with snacks. Her gaze slid toward him and shied away quickly when it met his.

"You wanna stop by later?" Andie asked pulling him back into the conversation.

"Not tonight." He shook his head, his gaze continuing on Lacey.

"Too bad cause I've been a very naughty girl."

"Sorry, I can't."

"I was gonna let you touch my naughtier places."

"Good night, Andie."

She sighed with irritated acceptance and hung up the phone. Danny tucked his phone into his pocket and walked back into the apartment, pressing past people in the process. Lacey could see Danny over Regina's shoulder as he strolled back into the party.

"How was your date with Harper?" he friend asked.

"Actually, we hit it off better than I expected."

"Well I'm sure the fact that he's hot as fuck helped."

"I heard Danny brought a date to the boat party."

Twirling the stem of her glass, Lacey responded "Yup."

"Is she cute?"

"She's uhm-well-uhm…You know what I hate? I hate the fact that she has a name because a name gives her an identity. She's no longer some woman that Danny is dating, she's Andie."

Regina raised her glass to her lips then stopped mid-air "Wow."

"What?"

"You really hate her don't you?"

"I don't hate her. I don't even know her."

"If she's gonna be dating Danny then you better start knowing her cause she's gonna be in Emma's life."

"Don't, I'm not ready to even think about that." Lacey shifted around, moving restlessly as her eyes sought Danny out in the crowd.


	5. Chapter 5

The spell of an Indian summer was gone and the rain came.

It hit the awnings, bounced off cabs and pelted on Lacey's shoulders as she ducked a war of umbrellas on the sidewalk. She spotted a few movie trucks and figured that they were shooting a movie on her block before diving into the marble lobby of her office building.

..

Inside her office and after she had settled in her high backed chair behind her desk, she opened an email from Samantha to find a Thank you e-card attached. Lacey wondered if Andie was the type of woman to send Thank you cards. She probably did and signed them xoxo. She took a deep breath and tried to clear her mind, she wouldn't be that woman who discredits another woman. Like she told Regina she didn't know Angie and until such time that she took the time to try and get to know her then she wouldn't assume anything.

"Stop!"

Lacey looked up to find Jo standing at the door with a stocky man carrying a bouquet of roses standing behind her. Smiling, Lacey's gaze dropped down to the jumbo bag Doritos on her desk and then back to Jo.

"What are you doing? I thought you were off carbs." Jo furrowed her brows and gestured to the chips in Lacey's hand.

"I'm an emotional eater." She apologised, sighing heavily as she leaned back in her chair.

"Hi." She peered over Jo's shoulder and acknowledged the delivery guy.

"Oh yeah, you've got a flower delivery."

"For me?' rising to her feet, Lacey brushed chip crumbs off her Navajo print silk shirt and approached the man with the enormous bouquet. He set the flowers down on her desk, stepped back and smiled offering her a receipt attached to a clipboard. Lacey snatched the clipboard from his hand and signed on the dotted line. She looked over at Jo and shrugged.

"Thank you." She addressed the man and handed the clipboard back to him. Leaning over her desk, she surveyed the bouquet and smiled at the blood-red roses.

"Are they from Mr Chocolate Harper?" Jo grinned, peering over Lacey's shoulder.

"Mr Chocolate?"

"That's what they call Harper Underwood on ESPN. Mr. Chocolate Harper the all American!"

"That's either very racist or very sexy, I can't decide." Lacey said with a chuckle and bit the corner of her bottom lip.

"It's sexy." Jo said.

"Since when do you watch ESPN anyway?" Lacey plucked the card out of the bouquet and read it; the roses were indeed from Harper.

"My Turner Classic Movies channel has been acting up and I've taken quite a liking to the Superbowl and the football uniform aint so bad either."

"Traitor." With a laugh, Lacey waved Jo off and picked her phone, holding it to her ear. It was only right to thank him for the flowers.

"I want to see you again" Harper confessed halfway through their conversation.

"Look I'm a stressed out single parent, I have a hectic life, a demanding job and-"

"It's just a meal between friends." He laughed and insisted. How could she turn him down after that?

..

A polaroid picture of Danny sleeping was tagged to the fridge. He stared at it long and hard before reaching out and ripping it out from a magnet that read tequila changes people.

"Hey" Andie marched into the kitchen with her long hair pulled back into a ponytail and a Graphic print shirt tucked into a pair of black high wasted pants.

"When did you take this?" he asked, gesturing to the picture in his hand.

"The other night. You like it?" she beamed, reaching for a fresh bag of bagels she had purchased from a bodega a block away from her apartment.

"It's creepy. I mean Glenn Close in Fatal Attraction creepy."

Tearing open the bag, she said "Don't even speak to me about that anti-feminist drivel of a movie. It glorified male privilege and condemned women. The asshole fucks over his wife with another women and he comes out smelling roses while the other woman is punished for the affair."

"Okay. Hey, you wanna a catch a movie tomorrow night?" he asked, reaching into a bag to retrieve a bagel.

"You wanna catch a movie with a crazy bunny boiler?"

"Very much so."

"I'd love to but I'll have to take a rain check because I have to work. We're auctioning off some of Lautrec's works. His _Fishing Boat_ went for a pretty penny at or last auction."

"Do people still pay ridiculous prices for art? I mean I could just buy a drinks coaster with one of Lautrec's poster prints for what, twenty dollars?"

"I'll pretend like you didn't say that but I can swing by your place on Thursday with a few movies and some wine, unless of course you have Netflix."

"Very subtle." He chuckled at her attempt to finally see his apartment.

"I try."

..

Two days later Lacey met Sarita for a shopping lunch break before her meeting with one of her writers.

"Is she ever without a smile?" Lacey asked, referencing Andie whom Sarita had brought up or at least she thought Sarita had brought her up.

"No because she's the quintessential male fantasy. I believe Helen of Troy always smiled."

"The face that launched a thousand ships didn't have to smile, she could burp and fart and still have all the princes and kings in the land." Lacey fingered through a row of elaborate kimono designs and voluminous party dresses. Her jaw dropped when she saw the price tag on a silk Kimono. The prices at the shop were ridiculous.

"Well you seem happy."

"I'm heavily medicated." Lacey smiled, lifting her champagne glass.

"How about this little sexy number?" Sarita asked holding up a strappy black dress.

"Little being the objective word." Lacey rolled her eyes and continued to peruse the rail.

"You're not in the little leagues anymore hun, this man is used to groupies who show up dressed in even less than this. You need to play ball."

"No what I need to do to is act like the grown ass woman I am."

"Ok… this one would look cute on you." Sarita offered up another number with slightly more fabric than the first.

Lacey reached out, looked at the price tag and shook her head "Too expensive."

"Has Danny cut back on the alimony?

"I'm trying to reduce my overhead costs so I can start saving for Emma's education." She shrugged then quickly added, "It's what we adults do"

Sarita scoffed and rolled her eyes.

After what felt like forever she finally found a dress she liked and lingerie she thought was sexy but comfortable. She didn't plan to sleep with the man but she knew that sexy lingerie would complete that feeling of feeling sexy.

She slipped into one of the changing rooms leaving Sarita outside to view her outfits whenever she ventured out. Creeping out of the small cubicle for the third time, she pressed her hands down the satin briefs and tried to admire her buttocks in the mirror. When Lacey turned around there was Andie dressed in a black Chantilly lace and silk corset with matching panties, her legs encased in lace trimmed stay-up stockings.

"Lacey." She smiled.

"Andie, right?" Lacey stammered, fixing the elasticated shoulder strap of her baby blue bra with a nervous hand. She adjusted the underwire cups while Andie brushed past her to view herself in the mirror.

"You don't like me to do you?" Andie pressed her lips together in a pout before wiping her jungle-red lipstick from the edge of her lips. Lacey followed the other woman with her eyes and struck by Andie's perfect body and taut stomach, tried to suck in her own fat.

"Why would I not like you?"

"It seems you already have an opinion about me." Andie said.

"How could I when I don't even know you."

With a big smile, Andie whipped around, shiny hair flipping over her shoulder and looked at Lacey, "Exactly. Why don't we do brunch next weekend? I'm having a couple of people over to watch the Cancer half-marathon at my apartment. I have a great view of the race out on the balcony"

"I uh…have to check the availability of my sitter. My nanny doesn't work weekends so I usually use another girl for her babysitting services."

"Well then we could bring Emma. I love kids and a friend of mine will be there with her twins."

"That's lovely."

"I'll give you a call. You work at Smithson Publisher's right?"

Lacey narrowed her eyes, "That's right."

"Great then I'll give you a call." Andie smiled and with that, she disappeared back into one of the changing rooms.

"Are you really gonna take care up on her offer?" Sarita asked once Andie was out of earshot.

"I don't know."

..

The rest of the week sped by in a blur and suddenly it was Saturday and she had a date with Harper.

Danny was lying on her bed playing with their daughter while she put the finishing touches to her outfit. It still felt strange having him in what used to be their master bedroom at times, right next to the ensuite bathroom where they had rolled on the floor suffering from diarrhoea after an unfortunate meal at a new fusion restaurant.

She smiled shaking her head and lifted a beaded bib necklace out of her jewellery box.

"So you're really going on date with this guy?" Danny asked.

She lifted her head from the task of trying to clasp a necklace around her neck and looked up at him, "His name is Harper Underwood and yes."

"I've been thinking of putting the house on the market." She turned to Danny.

"Are you kidding? Then I'd miss the view of the Manhattan Bridge every time I drive out to Brooklyn."

"While I'm stuck in commuter hell you have the luxury or coming out to Brooklyn twice a week."

"Hmm I guess if you moved back to Manhattan I'd see more of Emma." He cocked his head before lifting himself off the bed, "but then again this place is a great investment. Where else are you going to get a huge four bedroom place with a garden?"

Lacey caught a whiff of his cologne as he reached out to tuck a hair behind her ear and she tensed. She was suddenly very aware of how close he was. He was so close she could see the flecks on gold in his brown eyes, see the throb of his heart as she stared at the hollow of his neck.

"Or I could just move back in. There's plenty of space." He said throatily.

She stretched out her hand and rested it on his chest, her fingers splayed across the fabric. His chest rose and fell with each intake of breath and as her trembling hands trailed down to the hem of his shirt, his hand moved to the side of her cheek. Lacey's eyes fluttered close recalling how in tune her body had always been with his. Liquid heat pulsed through her body, her mouth felt dry when she opened it.

"I have to go." She heard herself speak.

"Yeah…yeah." He agreed, clearing this throat.

"The sitter will be here around five." Lacey informed him and he remained silent while she collected her bag and trench coat

"Okay. Have fun." He finally said.

"Thanks."

..

"What's this?" Lacey gestured with her chin to a mural painted on a brick wall. The mural depicted kids playing basketball on battered asphalt. She smiled at the bent hoop with sunlight gleaming over it.

"It's beautiful isn't it?" Harper asked, draping an arm around her shoulder.

"Shouldn't you be promoting football camp?" she asked, tensing at the contact.

"It's not really about the sport but what we teach these young black men."

"You're impacting lives in a positive way. I can respect that."

"I grew up in a place like this." He gestured out to the fenced basketball court where a number of kids were playing ball. Lacey scanned the street outside the court and took in the seven elevens, liquor stores, the pawn shops and the general decay of inner city infrastructure. Life was failing these kids, she thought turning to look at Harper again.

"Where'd you grow up?" he asked.

"Upstate in the kind of neighbourhood that had basketball hoops over garage doors."

"You up for a game?"

"I can't play" she laughed, shaking her head.

As they strolled to his waiting black town car which was already surrounded by waiting fans, he signed a few footballs and t-shirts that a pack of kids were shoving at him. Lacey smiled, he seemed so carefree and happy in his element.

"Can I see you tomorrow?" he asked once inside the car.

"I can't. I uh-need to go over a manuscript. I'm trying to help my ex by going over his-"

"Your ex-husband?"

"Yeah."

"What is homeboy trying to play Mr. Comeback?"

"Homeboy isn't trying to play anything. We're just friends."

"Good then he needs to play his position, "he drew her closer to him, "cause Harper's here."

"Did you just refer to yourself in third person?"

"Yes I did." He smiled, his eyes falling to her lips. His jaw set before he pulled her even closer to him, his fingers threading her hair. Harper eased her lips apart with the pad of his thumb before his mouth took over hers in a kiss. She tensed up at first, her hands gripping the hard curves of his biceps before she relaxed, let go and relished in the kiss.

..


End file.
